Class Of '09

October 9, 2009
created by Paul Griffiths

Kai Lenny and Fanny Aubet were crowned 2009 PWA Rookies of the year having shown plenty of promise for the future on the World Tour this season.

Two of the newest members of the World Tour fought hard with the old guard this year to claim their well-deserved titles of Rookies of the year. Fanny Aubet (JP, NeilPryde) made her debut in Costa Brava earlier this year, whilst Kai Lenny (Naish, Naish) made it to both Cabo Verde and Sylt.

Aubet raced extremely well in the Bay of Roses, qualifying for the winner’s final in both rounds of women’s slalom. Unfortunately the second round was never completed so Aubet had to make do with her seventh place from the first round. This was an excellent achievement but we’re sure she would have loved to have been given the chance to prove her worth once more against the World’s top female racers.

Aubet couldn’t make it to Korea or Alacati, so her overall slalom ranking for the season does not represent her true ability as a racer. Aubet did however attend Sylt, entering the final Women’s wave contest, but the challenging conditions were not ideal for her debut into wave competition. We look forward to seeing more of Aubet next year, perhaps on the slalom podium…

Lenny has been attending the occasional World Tour event for a few years now, but this year he gave it a real shot, attending two out of the three wave events held. In Cabo Verde, Lenny proved his wave sailing skills by flying through various heats until he found himself up against the top eight. At this point, the level went through the roof, and Lenny was one of those provoking this movement. Anyone foolish enough to have questioned Lenny’s ability had to reconsider as the teenager from Maui began to attempt 360’s in the jaws of mast high Ponta Preta monsters. After the double elimination, Lenny eventually finished an impressive 11th.

Last week in Sylt, Lenny once again proved he is a force to be reckoned with, charging through his first heats in the sometimes brutal North Sea conditions. He fought hard against some of the more experienced sailors, and eventually finished in equal 17th.

These two events were enough to rank Lenny in the top 20 overall for the 2009 season, which is an awesome achievement for someone of his age. Lenny is adamant about becoming world champion, so we expect to see plenty more of him on the World Tour over the next few years!

A huge congratulations to Kai Lenny and Fanny Aubet from everyone here at the PWA World Tour!